Driver Licence Demerit Points

About this Item
Speakers - Gibson Mr Paul; Scully Mr Carl
Business - Questions Without Notice

DRIVER LICENCE DEMERIT POINTS

Mr GIBSON: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Roads. What was the outcome of the trial at Easter of doubling driver licence demerit points for speeding offences in New South Wales?

Mr SCULLY: I thank the honourable member for Londonderry for his question and I acknowledge his strong work on road safety as Chairman of the Staysafe committee.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Baulkham Hills to order.

Mr SCULLY: On 25 March I announced that licence demerit points would be doubled for speeding offences over the Easter school holiday period. That initiative applied from midnight on Wednesday, 26 March, to midnight on Monday, 7 April. It was part of a $1.8 million package, which was the biggest package of road safety measures ever introduced in this State over Easter - traditionally a notorious time on our roads. The package, which also included measures to target the key areas of drink-driving and fatigue, was
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developed in response to the disturbingly high fatality level on the State's roads in early January this year.

As honourable members would be aware, the results over Easter were very encouraging. The number of road deaths for the full holiday period was 11, compared with 24, 20 and 29 for the same period over the previous three years. This represents reductions of 54 per cent, 45 per cent and 62 per cent respectively for 1996, 1995 and 1994. The number of fatalities for the five core days of Easter, from the Thursday before Easter to Easter Monday inclusive, was three. This was the lowest total on record, down by nine, or 75 per cent, on the figure for 1996. To put this in perspective, in 1949, when road statistics began, there were seven deaths over Easter with 400,000 registered vehicles in the State. In 1997 there were three deaths with 3½ million registered vehicles in the State.

The real test of the success or failure of road safety measures is the number of fatalities or serious injuries from road accidents. On this measure the Easter package was clearly a major success. But there is other evidence that supports the conclusion that the demerits initiative played a role in improving driver behaviour. For the five days of Easter the number of speeding offences detected by radar and mobile patrol was 9,560 compared with 14,299 in 1996. This represents a reduction of approximately one-third. Falls were also recorded for stationary random breath test charges, traffic infringements and seat belt offences.

Given that additional Roads and Traffic Authority funding ensured that police enforcement levels were significantly increased over the previous year, the real reduction level in road breaches was greater than those figures indicate. Data for the full Easter school holiday period will be available in time for the road safety summit to be conducted next month. Nevertheless, I believe sufficient evidence already exists to justify extending the double demerit point initiative. I am pleased to advise the House that I have decided that demerit points for speeding will be doubled over the next Christmas-New Year holiday period.

Some observers have advocated a wider application of this measure by extending it to other school holidays and long weekends. I am concerned that such a move may be counterproductive. I believe frequent application of double demerits may desensitise drivers to the threat of receiving increased demerit points, thus robbing the initiative of much of its impact. However, I have not made a final decision on the matter and it will be addressed at the road safety summit. On a wider level, demerit points are being considered in the Government's current review of penalties for all road offences.

The RTA receives strong public criticism from time to time. I believe it does not receive the credit it deserves for its work in road safety. I take this opportunity to congratulate those in the RTA who worked on the double demerits initiative and the rest of the Easter road safety package. The double demerits initiative sparked enormous interest and endorsement across Australia. For the benefit of our friends opposite I shall quote two examples. At the conclusion of the Easter holiday period no less than the acting Prime Minister, Mr Tim Fischer, congratulated New South Wales on its road safety performance, and no less than the Federal Minister for Transport -

Mr Photios: Good man.

Mr SCULLY: Occasionally a good bloke. He wrote offering his congratulations on what he called a highly successful road safety campaign. Two towering National Party figures, the acting Prime Minister and the Federal Minister for Transport, stand in stark contrast to the honourable member for Eastwood.

Mr Collins: On a point of order. The Minister has apparently suffered amnesia because last week I supported the Government -

Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order.

Mr SCULLY: It was so forgettable, I cannot remember it!

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Baulkham Hills to order for the second time.

Mr SCULLY: In a desperate attempt to score political points the honourable member for Eastwood responded to my announcement of double demerit points by saying that road safety over Easter would be at risk because of this initiative. Everyone on this side remembers that he said road safety would be at risk because of that announcement.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Eastwood will have an opportunity to make a personal explanation at the end of question time, if he so wishes.

Mr SCULLY: I was extremely disappointed at his response. I would like him to have the grace and
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courage to admit in this House that he was wrong, to apologise to this House and to say, "I'm sorry."

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